Polygon Tool

This is what I am looking for, demonstrating the Polygon Tool

OPTIONAL - Taken to the next level. 

In the Top View, bring in the reference image.  View > Image Plane > Image Plane . . .

Navigate to the Sword Concept Art and Open

Reposition the Image Plane with the move and rotate tool, so the that blade is centered.

Move the Image Plane down in the Front View, just to get it out of the way for the next steps.  

Using the Create Polygon Tool, draw the perimeter of the blade only.   Mesh Tools > Create Polygon Tool

In the Perspective View, hid the Grid & the Image Plane.

Switch to Face Mode.  Right-Click on the object and choose Face.

Extrude the Face up 0.1 units.  Edit Mesh > Extrude

Change Local Translate Z to 0.1

If your sword is black, reverse the Face Normals.   Mesh Display > Reverse

Select just the top face and activate the Scale Tool.

Select the Top Face and using the Scale Tool move just the Yellow handle to best fit the inner sword shape.  

It should look like this . . .

It should now look something like this . . .

It should now look something like this . . .

Look under the blade, if it is black and looks like this, you are good.

If it looks like this, switch to Face mode, select the bottom face, and hit {Delete}

In Face mode, select the bottom face, and hit {Delete}

Vertex normals (and edges) determine the visual softness or hardness between polygon faces. If an edge or a vertex has 'hard' normals, the shape is view with a 'sharp' edge, or if an edge or a vertex has 'soft' normals, the shape is view with a 'smooth' edge.  Basically it is an Illusion, the object is still the same, the way it reacts to the light has just changed..  

Now check which edges are hard and soft.  Turn on display Hard Edges.  Display > Polygons > Hard Edges

The hard edges will be highlighted purple. Look to see if all the edges you want to be 'sharp' are highlighted purple.  Nothing else should be highlighted.

For example, if an edge like this one id highlighted . . .

To make an edge soft, select the edges you want to change and . . . Then  Mesh Display > Soft Edge

In Edge Mode, select the edge that you do not want to be a 'sharp' edge.  

If there is an edge that you want to be 'sharp', like this one . . .

Select the edge you want to make 'sharp' (Hard) and then  . . . Mesh Display > Harden Edge

Now, all the edges I want sharp and now Hard edges.

Now Switch back to Object mode, select the blade, and Mirror it.  Mesh > Mirror > ❏ 

Change Mirror Axis to Y

*Note: If it did  not work you either did not create it in the top view or extruded in the wrong direction.

Make sure all the main edges are Purple.  We are going to Bevel al the Hard Edges..  

Now select only the hard edges using the Polygon Selection  Constraint on Edges tool.  Select > Use Constraints.  You can manually select the hard edges, but it would take much longer, using constraints is mush faster.  


Change your Model to Edge mode

Close and Reset.

Bevel the selected Hard  edges,  Edit Mesh > Bevel

Change the fraction of the bevel to 1, which works better for this application.  Or adjust it to what ever looks better. 

I took it  . . . To the Next Level!